Padley Gorge Wood Warbler

I visited an brilliant place in the Peak District recently, called Padley Gorge. I parked at the bottom and made way up the gorge. A brilliant woodland and fast running water through it's rocky centre. 

Birds were singing everywhere. There were a pair of Dippers to start me off, and I lost count of how many Pied Flycatchers I saw and heard. It was one of the best places I had visited for these. Common Redstarts were competing with them, plus the numerous Wrens, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. At the top, I found a couple of pairs of Spotted Flycatchers zipping around the tree canopy.

What I had really come for was the Wood Warbler. A bird I have only seen a few times, its one I'd not seen for a good number of years now. It was worth the 5am start and I even found two singing males. 

A cracking male Wood Warbler

Male Pied Flycatcher. They were so busy collecting food for their young, they would drop down in front of you like a Robin and then fly back to their branch,

The female Pied Flycathcer

One of the many Common Redstarts

Lunt Meadows Nature Reserve

A super early alarm set for last weekend, had me out in the car by 5am. In these times of social distancing it makes good sense to beat the dog walkers, joggers, and generally others. Not that this has ever been a problem for me in the past, as I always like to go out early when the Spring and Summer is here. I've been social distancing for many years now😄

It's a great reserve with a good mix of wetland habitat, reedbeds, scrapes and grassland. Next to the reserve there is a lot of farmland, so it attracts many different species. Plenty of waders in the form of Black-tailed Godwit, Little Ringed Plover and Ringed Plover.

There was a Corn Bunting singing from the power lines as I got out of the car. Not a bird I see very often, so this was a good start.

Corn Bunting

There were a few pairs of Avocet on the scrapes, with a couple of freshly hatched chicks being closely monitored.

Avocet

Probably one of the most numerous birds around the reserve was the Sedge Warbler. I had not seen one so far this year, so it was good to get it ticked and great to hear them singing again. Things I usually take for granted as the summer roles on, it was nice to just stand and watch these birds going for it full throttle.

Sedge Warbler

Lapwing

Little Egret

Shelduck

Shoveler